New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1887-06-13
TIE CODE AMONG SOLDIERS.
RECORDS OF FAMOUS ENCOUNTERS.


the late 9th ROYAL Hussars, has not Attempted !"
emulate the examples Of Steinmetz ana miiiinee,
hut has merely brought together q numoer "a
stories OF duclling not even taking care 10 q.
them cbronologically. ne title Dueihhs Ia 'n'
Army" refers TO the English Army ouo 'iie ieoo,u
or,hracs MANY encounters. the principals In winch
,.,oro NOT military men, With better arrangement
md a good deal m,ne industry The author niishC
have made q valuable contribution TO the hs'ory
of duclling. His methods are so desuro'y, ho"-
ever that his work is really little more than
collection of anecdotes, some OF which appear "
rest upon authentic documents while Others arc
scarcely distincushable from fiction and perhaps
ou,bt IN ne classed with il. Nevertheless enough
10 mt nm record TO illustrate the extent TO wmch
the nractice of the code was abused before IL
became extinct and nothing is more remarh"oie
than the average pucIility OF the provocaeiohs
which led men, often of eminence' 10 20 ou0
With one another There is one interesting and
significant fact brought forward by Mr.. Douglas
narrower. and il tends to show how abuses often
evolve their own remedies. Toward The close Vi
the duelling period it came to be remarked that
large proportion of these meetings were harmless
although frequently the principals exchanged Sow
oral shots. The fact is that about this time IL
became understood that the seconds should do all III
their power to avert the loss of life and they per-
formed their duty by loading the pistols so lightly
that sometimes the bullets when hitting their mark
only produced bruises. Thus five or six shots
might be exchanged without any harm done, ana
thus also the practice of duelling was gradually
brought into contempt
The kind of men who fought were naturally
hard and high lvers Mr.. Douglas gives lhe
following racy story of the Duke OF Richmond
famous sx-bottle man. 1t illustrates the manners
of the period in more than one way, and the con-
clusion Is q delightful commentary on the dis-
pensation of ecclesiastical benefices at the time
VI the Duke OF Richmond's abilities In that
respect drinking il Is related that he was INC
only man who sat out the orgies so prevalent at
the Castle that is he saw all his stan ana gentle
men guests under the table. IL was the custom
in those days to get drunk. though apparently ine
Colonel Lennox who shot away the Duke Oh 1ork
curl, and the subsequent lIlsh Nlceroy' oiu Loe
Get drunk though he drank deep. POSSIBLY II was
This gift which endearcd him SO mucn 10 tnc III
the 35th The exchanged from the Guards, IN LOO
he was stationed at the fortress OF the Moaer1
Athens His abilities siX-bOttle man galhea
him great respect in The then eXistihs s'"'o VI
society in Edinburgh. " !,
When Viceroy OF Ireland the following taie y
told of him. Being on a visit to friend IN inc
west of the Emerald Isle. he felt annoyed tl'H no
one could be found to join him in his potatlons,
at least to sit with him without getting ielplcseN
intoxicated. His host. remembering that c.I",e
n few miles away famed for the quantity Oh
lo,lor he was able to carry on WIN hmpuln'H;
cent for the reverend gentleman. VINO duly arIiNcu
and faced the Duke at table. When each oil mem mem
rad nut away five bottles of wine, the curate
exclaimed 1900 =. NC
have n bumper OF brandy. - -, 100000
Two laroe glasses were at once filed with cocnac
and emptied A fresh bumper 10 each OF thc
came Honor was then filed. but as the reDlrscmh,
five OF the church took it in his hand ne ! zen
belnJoss on the floor, leaving King Eeolge 'he
Thirds representative master OF the hen. .
inn law
dean and il was said at the time had nc PROVED
the victor in the drinking duel the NlceroS "oui"
have made him bishop. ..
Here is another story of clergyman VINO was
a,so Journalist end evidently his own "hshllhs
editor namely tho Reverend Mr.. Bate:
AZ already mentioned, he was editor and pro-
n,ietor OF The Morning Post IN when paper
ihen, appeared carly in 1717 several letters rc
t,ectinp upon the character OF iady vi Po'' ~,
s'erfa;n Sonev a celebi ated Buck OF that any,
vas AN admirer of the lady in question, anu vi
he. mart requested Mr.. Bate 10 give up .hc nam
of the writer of the letters referred " .hht
the refusal of the latter TO do So ue ION H.,
az 10 challenge him, with an understanding tn''
there were TO be no So, Onds meelihs was ~" o.,
fore arranged between the representa!h' y, IL
Church and the Army, or, as we hiisiio PV 5
.oorvn and sword They met IN fooIi "ilO
,ocl,ipg the door took up thor posi- los iiss na
diocbaIped their pistols without eiiect, 'h'S M
these on the ground and drawins , ."er ho result
sttac,,,u each other most resoluteE the IT, ond
Seinr mat Mr. Bate wounded IN the thsh nv, nhu
.'anta,n Stoney in the arm and breasI. hH ,i,ls
lime peorle were hammering at the ooor VI I,
.n, t,,inr to oren it, but the swordsmeh W.T.
TOO intent on their work TO attend anu ~, ~ hut
ai,sion would have been fatal 10 one Oh ~ The
for an incident which occurred II, VI. bIode of Mr.
,raa owinp TO the bending OF tio pl"ue u lint
w. erro,d which was caused by the Io'nU
n"cc,iny the (a,tan's breast bone. On N' n~ev
o,nrising his opponent or inns. 'alS"!n 10 IN
,oa ,,non him TO straghten 1t ana III 'io e 'l
'si s .hiIc Nr Bate had his sword unaer MS loo.
g. y1,ot rnIrrose, the door was DION" - IN
.sh,,yise as remarked the death OF one ct,,rdo,,
o,4ios rrtrbt have ensued. IN 'i~ 5 ,rhon,
rh'Ns Cantain Stoney married the ladr wi'on'
-. poa Thus defended at the hazard oil Ms INV,
"e .@ @ Tho entry of the Allies to Pa1s' wheh
,.,e Rod fa,le,, the old officers oil 'he freioi
ar,nv were naturally in a state OF oecP oN'''
,inn and the more vindictivc among 'hcii io'' ~
'ol Of provoking duels with inc
corouerors their lancor oeine eN"i - ,a,,,,-
aoo;o, manner AGAINST the English. AS INC ia'''
Ni'~r,,- ,oa loss skill with the pistol ana shah
-, ,hor the Frenchmen, soielal ia'al oueIS
a I'm one occasion however ffoheh
o,,oor who WAS a protested duodlis', ana VINO na'
already earned notoriay by "aVehslhs hiS 0ou"
,,yp uron perfdious Albion on the h''u Vi NUM-
,eceived a check which is said TO have iehuc' ~
,,o ,,usuit OF dues with EnSlshmoA muci' ic'S
.,ou,,lor The story has been told by Lever ou'
as MIR. Douglas gives the name OF Inc nero IL
worth while to give his version
There was a Fienchman who boosted OF ha nav u
killed doan of English officers ana PROMISED q
go or in this work One evening he swdseeieu
s usual into his cafe. and, to his astonsiml'clt
actually saw one of those hated "Anslais oecu
pying his chair chair be it rememoeloi, , ti,a
~ one hitherto had dared to sit upon except nm
self Mastering his passion he undid his swofd
belt and having placed his sword on one sac
began to insult the perfectly inohensive hnsl ,s
officer who sat so unconsclous-looking IN MS th,
fTenchman'sl chair lie trod upon the Engllsl
toes he deprived tho Englishman OF his candles
he went from one thing on to another without ~
al being able in the least apparently. TO ulSluti
Inc others placidity. At last he snatched th'
newspaper out Of the Fnslsbman's hand, and thcI
the Briton slowly rose up. displaying 10 ult
4 no Eorl rIIard